cmus's Identifications

We netted the longear sunfish in the quiet still waters in Barton Creek at the Barton Creek Preserve. The creek is laid with large rocks and some trees which are good for cover. There are some aquatic plants that line the creek but under water was murky. The rocks were uneven and covered in algae making it very difficult to walk in. We found the sunfish in an area of the creek were the water was relatively still. Sunfish don't like turbulent waters. The area was perfect for them because the large rocks and plants allowed them cover from predators. They like to be in shallower water but because we were disrupting the water floor and mudding up the waters, the sunfish was hiding between rock crevices and vegetation. We were finally able to net the fish by fishing it out of the hiding spot with a stick. We were able to identify it as a sunfish by it spines and fin as well as the long "ear" on its sides. 82 Farenheit